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Community Supported Agriculture: More Green Stuff
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We took our second delivery today from One Straw Farm, the farm supplying the produce in our CSA (or however you describe that relationship), and this one consisted entirely of green stuff.
This week’s haul:
- Arugula
- Radishes
- Collard greens
- Garlic scapes
- Chard
- Green leaf
- Romaine
- Spinach
- Mustard greens
Last week, we had a little box of strawberries to break up the green-ness of our loot. This week, it’s all green, all the time and it’ll result in a lot of salads.
Garlic Scape Pesto
On the recommendation of a lot of people (thanks!), we decided to take last week’s scapes and turn it into pesto. The recipe is pretty simple (we modified this recipe, replacing some ingredients):
- 8 garlic scapes, chopped to about an inch
- 1/2 a cup of Pecorino cheese
- 1/2 cup of olive oil
- 1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts
- Salt & pepper to taste
We haven’t used it yet, we plan on putting it on some salmon and roasting it to fine deliciousness.
Stuff I’ve Never Eaten
Last week, there were three things I’d never had before – garlic scapes and the two chards. This week we add a few more. After the week is done, I’ll have tried mustard greens and collard greens for the first time. I’m happy to report that I enjoyed the chards. The rainbow we just cooked in some garlic and olive oil while the Swiss chard made its way into chicken and corn enchiladas, replacing spinach in our recipe.
I was really hoping for some more kale and broccoli, my two favorites, but I won’t know if I like mustard or collard greens until I try them! As always, any ideas are greatly appreciated.
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I’ve never heard of this Community Supported Agriculture thing. Did a little reading on it, as well as your related posts and it sounds pretty interesting, might be something I try sometime here.
What are garlic scapes? I use garlic all the time in clove or powdered form, but scapes?
Scapes are the green flowering part of the garlic plant. They look a little like a curly-q.
Mustard greens are delicious, but make sure you sauté them long enough to get rid of some of the sulfur compounds. I use them in a gumbo z’herbs (recipe from “Vegan Soul Kitchen”), but they’re equally delicious on their own. Sounds like a fun CSA week!
Is it typical that the first batch tends towards being mostly leafy greens? We’ve been thinking about doing so for a couple of years, but we just bought a CSA share for the first time this year.
Yes, the first couple of pickups are typically greens. This tends to be what grows at this time of year. As the season advances, the pickups will branch into other things, and then at the end of the year, you’ll get mostly winter squash and the greens again. It’s all about what’s able to grow at the time.
Collards are alright, but I find them a bit bitter. I personally prefer turnip greens, but I know I am in the minority.
Small world – I’m a member of One Straw, too, although I get my share on Tuesdays. I’m not the biggest fan of mustard greens, but I like collards. I chop them up, stir-fry them with the scapes, and add them to pasta with a little olive oil and parmesan cheese. I have basil in my garden, so I throw that in, too, and I usually toss in a chopped tomato, too. It cuts the strong flavor of the collards that a lot of people don’t like.
I have a friend who lives in Baltimore who gets their share on Tuesdays too. Looks like there’s more pasta in our future.
We just put the garlic scapes pesto onto salmon, replacing “regular” basil pesto, and it worked out great.
this sounds great! i wish my community had something like this. it seems like a great way to eat better, perhaps save some money and support local.